Modi urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, once again called for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. He emphasized that the right path to resolving conflicts is dialogue and diplomacy, and expressed readiness to support efforts aimed at peace.
Modi urged Putin to end the war in Ukraine
Modi and Putin held a bilateral meeting in New Delhi on September 11. According to the Ministry of External Affairs of India, the talks covered India–Russia relations as well as the issue of the war in Ukraine.
Quoting Modi, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said, "Dialogue and diplomacy are the right way to resolve conflicts."
The meeting was organized ahead of the BRICS summit, which will take place in the Indian capital on September 12–13.
India is one of the major importers of Russian oil. The country also purchases grain products from Russia. Therefore, the disruption of shipping in the Black Sea due to the war in Ukraine also affects India's interests.
In particular, in July, four Indian sailors were killed as a result of a Russian missile strike on a cargo ship near Odesa. Following this, the Ministry of External Affairs of India summoned Russia's chargé d'affaires in the country.
This is Modi's second appeal to Putin regarding the termination of the war in Ukraine in the last two weeks.
During a meeting held on August 31 in Bishkek on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, the Prime Minister of India also urged the Russian President to stop military actions.
At that time, Modi said that "it is necessary to move from endless war to the end of war, to the cessation of military actions." Putin, in turn, stated that Russia is allegedly "moving" in this direction.
India maintained its economic ties with Russia even after the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine and continued to actively purchase Russian oil. According to Bloomberg, some goods under Western sanctions, including microchips and machine tools necessary for the Russian military industry, were also delivered to Russia through India.
Meanwhile, Western leaders' assessments of how ready Moscow is for peace talks vary.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on September 9 that he sees few signs indicating the readiness of the Russian government and president to enter into serious peace negotiations regarding Ukraine.